Duty to Report

Boards of education and independent school authorities have duties to report the
following to the Commissioner under section 16 of the School Act and sections 7 and 7.2 of the Independent School Act:

Suspensions and dismissals;

Discipline for misconduct involving physical harm, sexual abuse or exploitation,
or serious emotional harm to a student or students;

Other conduct or competence that breaches the
standards, if it is in the public interest to do so; and

Resignations, if it is in the public interest to do so.

Reports must be signed by the superintendent, the independent school principal,
or the chair of the authority operating an independent school.

Certificate Holders

All certificate holders have a duty under section 38 of the Teachers Act to report – in the form of a written and signed report
to the Teacher Regulation Branch for the Commissioner’s review – any conduct involving
physical harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or significant emotional harm to a
student or students, when they have reason to believe that another certificate holder
has engaged in such conduct.

Section 17.9 of the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) requires certificate holders
to self-report promptly to the Director of Certification if they are criminally
charged or convicted in relation to a "relevant offence" (an offence listed in Schedule
1 of the CRRA) or a "specified offence" (an offence listed in Schedule 3 of the
CRRA), and also requires them to authorize a further criminal record check.

Certificate holders include classroom teachers, vice-principals, principals, directors
and superintendents in the public, independent school systems in BC.